Pegasus Solutions has named John Kiszla vice president, demand account management, where he will help drive room sales for Pegasus hotel clients by working directly with the demand community. Kiszla brings nearly two decades of hotel leadership to the role in which he will also be managing a global team of account managers.
Gary has been a Westin Galleria Dallas staff member since 2010, where he started as a loss prevention officer and worked his way up to catering assistant and most recently, executive meeting specialist. Gary has gained a wealth of information and knowledge at the Westin Galleria Dallas and he also has years of sales experience in the banking industry. Nicholson obtained his MBA from Florida State University College of Business.
Hyatt Regency Dallas announced completion of the $50-million makeover and upgrade of its 1,120 guest rooms, bathrooms and corridors, less than a year after construction began and just in time to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the hotel. Dallas-based Woodbine Development Corporation, original developer and asset manager of the hotel and adjoining landmark Reunion Tower, managed the project.
Jason has over six years of catering and sales experience. He joins The Westin Galleria Dallas from Le Meridien Dallas where he a Senior Group Sales Manager. He was also Director of Catering and Conference Service at the Hilton Indianapolis North.
Michelle Clement has been named Director of Sales and Marketing at W Dallas Victory Hotel. She brings more than 22 years experience to the position, including 13 years with Starwood brand hotels. Most recently, Clement was Complex Director of Sales and Marketing for The Westin and Sheraton Stonebriar in Frisco. She has also worked at The Westin Galleria in Dallas as Director of Sales and Marketing and The Westin City Center as Director of Group Sales. Clement has previously worked with the W Hotel brand in New Orleans as Director of Group Sales for W New Orleans and W French Quarter. She also held sales manager positions at Fairmont, Hyatt and Le Meridien hotels in New Orleans. Clement earned a Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaura nt and Tourism Administration from the University of New Orleans.
Leigh Hitz, president and chief executive officer of Stout Street Hospitality, recently announced that Tom Thomas has been hired as the general manager of Magnolia Hotel Dallas. Tom has more than 35 years of travel and hospitality experience throughout the United States. He most recently managed an Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas. He spent many years with Hilton Hotels as a general manager in Chicago and various locations in Texas. He also oversaw a diverse group of hotels for the company, which ranged from the historic Drake Hotel in Chicago to a conference center property in Grapevine, Texas. Earlier in his career, Tom worked for a number of conference center hotels managed by Benchmark Hospitality.
Omni Hotels & Resorts announced the appointment of Larry Magor as the managing director of the Omni Dallas Hotel. In this role, Magor will oversee overall future growth and all operations of the hotel, which is connected via skybridge to the Dallas Convention Center.
Darryl Jett has been named the new General Manager for W Dallas Victory hotel. The position marks Jetts return to the W brand. He was General Manager of W Atlanta at Perimeter Center for four years and Director of Operations at W Chicago Lakeshore, where he helped launch the W concept in the Chicago market.
Diana has over six years of catering and hospitality experience. She joins The Westin Galleria Dallas from the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco where she was the Catering Sales Manager. Diana has also worked for the Sofitel San Francisco Bay in their Catering Department and the Palace Hotel in Guest Services. Diana earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Broadcast Journalism at St. Scholastica’s College in the Philippines. She is also a certified wedding planner with the Bridal Society in New York.
Pegasus Solutions has named Julie Parodi as vice president of sales operations. In the newly created role, Parodi will serve a multi-faced management role, optimizing performance among Pegasus' global sales, client services, demand sales and support teams.
Matt Traub has been tapped as the new Director of Sales and Marketing for W Dallas - Victory hotel. The position marks a return to Texas for Traub, who spent five years in food and beverage and sales management at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving.
Director of Sales Julie Vogel brings over 10 years of industry experience to her new role, most recently serving as the Corporate Group Sales Manager for the John Q. Hammons Embassy Suites hotel in Frisco. Prior to the Embassy, Vogel worked as a Director of Sales and Marketing for Hilton Worldwide in Addison, TX, where she was recognized for substantially growing the hotel’s RevPAR index. Vogel also has experience working within the sales departments for Prime Hospitality and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. She has a B.B.A. from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma.
Magnolia Lodging, LLC recently announced the appointment of Gayle Wilkinson to General Manager and Julie Vogel to Director of Sales at the Homewood Suites by Hilton® Dallas/Frisco. Prior to joining the Homewood Suites, Wilkinson was the award-winning General Manager for the Homewood Suites Birmingham/South Inverness in Alabama. Both Wilkinson and her hotel were recognized annually by the Homewood Suites brand for excellence in leadership, operations and overall Total Quality Scores. Most recently, Wilkinson was recognized as a 2011 General Manager of the Year award of merit winner, the 2011 Homewood Suites Stewardship Award Winner for community service, and the Birmingham/South Inverness hotel received a 2011 Connie Pride Award of Merit for ranking within the top five Homewood Suites hotels in a brand that comprises over 300 open hotels.
The Westin Galleria Dallas, Starwood's 2011 Westin Hotel of the Year, announced today that it has hired Courtney Van Amburgh as the Marketing and Social Media Specialist. Before joining the Westin Galleria Dallas team, Courtney was collaborating marketing and business developments for the hotel and Galleria Dallas. She has over seven years of strategic communications experience and has worked for Communities in Schools Dallas Region, Genesco Sports Enterprises, Moore Norman Technology Center and Jazz in June.
The Hotel Association of North Texas (HANTX), announced today its 2012 Board of Directors including the election of John Klukan, General Manager at the Marriott Solana Westlake, as its new incoming president. He succeeds Mark Brooks, General Manager of the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria who will become chairman of the HANTX Board of Directors. Ray Hammer, General Manager of the Sheraton Dallas Hotel and Roberto van Geenen, General Manager of the Ritz Carlton were also elected as vice presidents.
La Quinta Inns & Suites announces the appointment of Edgar Garin, as Director of Franchise Development for Central and South America. Garin brings more than 25 years of hospitality management and sales experience to La Quinta. He most recently served as Vice President of Development for Radisson Hotels & Resorts Latin America. He will report to David Wilner, La Quinta’s Senior Vice President of Development. In addition to his most recent position at Radisson, Garin has held management positions at Lexington Services/Vantis International/TravelClick; Carnival Hotels & Resorts; and at Taj Hotels, Potomac Hotel Group and Sonesta International. Garin holds a B.S. from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and a Master’s degree in International Business from Florida International University.
HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), the nation’s fastest growing private owner/operator of hotel real estate, today announced several general manager promotions, transitions and appointments resulting from the acquisition of four hotels earlier this year. Thomas Economos was appointed General Manager for the Sheraton Dallas North, a 309-room hotel acquired by HEI in May, 2011. Previously, he was the General Manager of the Le Meridien Dallas.
HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), the nation’s fastest growing private owner/operator of hotel real estate, today announced several general manager promotions, transitions and appointments resulting from the acquisition of four hotels earlier this year. Jennifer Richards was appointed General Manager of the Le Meridien Dallas, filling the position vacated by Thomas Economos. Richards served as the General Manager of the Hilton Indianapolis North since 2009.
Didier Bosc is appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Accor North America. He is a graduate of Amiens business school ESCAE and holds a doctorate in Management Control as well as a degree in law. He joined Accor in 1985 and progressed rapidly before becoming Vice President of Finance for Sofitel and Novotel North America in 2003. He has been Executive Vice President and CFO of Accor North America since 2007 and will retain his previous responsibilities as well as now supervising the cross-divisional services (IT, legal services, procurement, and technical services) of Novotel and Sofitel North America. Working with him, Erik Anderouard and Eric Buitenhuis remain respectively SVP Operations for Sofitel Americas and VP of Novotel Canada.
Following Olivier Poirot’s decision to leave his positions to join another company, Jim Amorosia is appointed Chief Executive Officer of Motel 6 and Studio 6 from October 3, 2011. Jim Amorosia has an MBA from the University of Arizona. He started his career with Motel 6 in 1985 as Regional Marketing Director and went on to occupy a series of strategic positions. He was appointed Executive Vice President of Motel 6 in 2000 and has been President and COO of Motel 6/ Studio 6 for the last four years. He will be responsible for managing the Motel 6/ Studio 6 brands in North America and accelerating the transformation of Motel 6 business model, with the goal of significantly reducing capital employed over the medium term. He will be assisted in his task by Alan Rabinowitz, who is promoted to the position of Executive Vice President, Director of Business Affairs and General Secretary in charge of strategic operations for Motel 6 / Studio 6.